Fox vs The Monster in The Closet
by Professor Slaad
Summary: Marcus needs his dad to scare away the monster in his closet. Very fluffy. Written from Marcus' POV.


Disclaimer: Star Fox is not mine. It and its characters, setting, etc. are all owned by Nintendo. I also don't own Gargoyles. You'll see why I put that second part in if you read the AN below after the story.

Marcus is four and three-quarters years old. The three-quarters is very important he claims when asked. He is the son of two of Lylat's greatest heroes, already showed the same promise with psionics as his mother did when she was his age, and is the oldest of four children. But only four and three-quarters years old. And like most four and three-quarters year olds, he was convinced that there was a monster in his closet.

It was the same routine as every night. His mom would cook a huge dinner with ROB's help, while his dad set the table and gathered everyone together. Then, after a hardy meal, complete with a scrumptious dessert, he washed up and went into the living room to watch TV while his dad cleaned up and did the dishes. His favorite show was Mystery Crew. It was about a group of teenagers and their talking pet dorv who usually wound up running into weird grownups who dressed up like scary monsters and then they'd have to set a trap to catch the grownup. The Mystery Crew always explained how they knew before they even set the trap who the weird grownup was but Marcus could never figure it out himself. His dad always said he knew the moment the show started which weird grownup was the monster but that's just cause his dad's so awesome. Afterwards, his parents ushered him and his younger siblings upstairs to brush their teeth, take a bath and go to bed. He didn't like brushing his teeth or taking a bath, but his parents always told him that he needed to set a good example for his brothers and sister. He loved his brothers and sister, and would do anything for them, even brush his teeth and take a bath.

After that, he'd go to the new room he'd moved into after his youngest sibling was born. Wait for his dad to tuck him in and read him a bed time story. Then his mom would come in and give him a goodnight kiss on his forehead.

In many ways, it was a night like any other. Except for one thing. There was a monster in his closet. Marcus was sure of it. He was sure that he'd closed his closet earlier in the day, but now, he could plainly see that the door was ajar, as if something had snuck in and closed the door behind itself in a rush to escape notice but hadn't closed it all the way. And when he looked in the closet at just the right angle, he could swear that he saw a shadow move.

But why couldn't Marcus sense the monster? His mother always said his telepathy was incredibly strong for his age so why? Suddenly Marcus gasped as he realized the horrible truth. The monster was part robot! When he asked his mom why he could never sense ROB she said it was because ROB was a robot and his mind was from a computer, not a brain like everyone else.

'That's just great,' Marcus thought. 'Not only is it a monster, it's part robot too. But how could it get in? Even though we live in the mountains, mom and dad always lock the doors and windows to make sure no wild animals can get in at night.' There wasn't anything dangerous around where they lived, but wild animals always made such messes his mom always said. 'The only time no one was in the house was when dad, Emma and I were playing on the swings. Mom was with the others in the greenhouse playing with blocks. She always goes in there during the afternoon, saying that the tropical plants in there reminded her of her old home on Cerinia. Even then, ROB was in the house cleaning.'

'But he was only cleaning the downstairs today. He only cleans one floor at a time, so the monster could have come in through an open window, and waited in my closet until we all went to sleep for the night. But the only way the monster could climb into an open window from the first floor is if…the monster's part spider too!'

'Oh no,' Marcus thought, 'the only thing worse than a monster that's part robot and part spider, is a monster that's part robot part spider _and_ part ghost.'

Marcus pulled his blanket over his head, repeatedly thinking the thought, 'It's going to get me, it's going to get me, it's going to get me.'

Marcus thought for sure it was all over. The monster was going to come out of the closet, pick him up, and carry him away back to its lair, and then it was going to cook him in a big pot.

Suddenly, Marcus heard his door open and a voice saying, "Marcus, what's wrong, your mother said she could sense your fear all the way from our room."

It was his dad! Flinging the sheets from his head Marcus shouted as loud as he could, "There's a monster in my closet!"

Unfortunately, his loud yell woke up his brothers and sister in the next room, who he could hear crying at being woken up from the land of dreams.

"I'll take care of it." Marcus' mom said as she disappeared from the doorway next to his dad and walked next door to comfort her children.

"There's no such thing as monsters Marcus, I promise, you were just having a nightmare." Fox chuckled comfortingly as he came to sit on his son's bed.

"But there is daddy, there's a monster in my closet. It's a robot spider monster too. That's why no one else can sense it, and how it snuck in through a window when no one was looking." Marcus cried out as he flung himself into his dad's comforting embrace.

"There, there Marcus, it's okay, don't worry, if there really is a monster, I'll take care of it with my special monster catching blanket." Marcus' dad said as he left the room. He came back in minutes later, carrying one of the blankets from the living room and walked into Marcus' closet, closing the door behind him.

Suddenly, more noises started coming from his closet. Marcus wait for the conclusion of the terrible battle. Suddenly, his dad threw open the door, his arms wrapped tightly around the blanket, as he cried out. "Marcus, open the window, now!"

Without even a second of hesitation, Marcus leaped from his bed, dashed across his room to the window and pulled it open with all his might. His father still struggling with the monster under the blanket cried out again, "Stay back Marcus, I don't want to risk it grabbing you if it gets loose!"

Marcus rushed out of his room, peaking in from behind the corner as he watched his dad struggle with the monster towards his window, where he flung the blanket out, holding on to the edge of the blanket to avoid losing it.

"And stay out!" His father cried from the window.

Turning back to the room, Marcus' dad walked back over to his son. "There you go Marcus, no more monsters, I promise that was the only one."

"Are you sure daddy?"

"I'm sure Marcus, here look for yourself," Marcus' father said while opening the door to his closet and showing him there was nothing in there.

"Now go back to bed, and in the morning, we'll go kayaking, just like you've been asking, okay."

"Okay daddy." Marcus jumped back into bed, satisfied that there were no more monsters in his closet.

"How's everyone doing in here?" Marcus' mom asked as she walked into the room, having just settled the other children down using her telepathy and the special power of mommy hugs and kisses.

"Daddy beat up the monster, then he threw it out the window."

"Is that so, well, every brave monster slayer deserves a kiss, wouldn't you say."

"Absolutely, but first why don't we tuck Marcus in. And I think brave monster slayer helpers also deserve a kiss from a beautiful woman. After all, I couldn't have done it if Marcus hadn't opened the window."

"In that case, here's your reward," Marcus' mom said as she tucked him in and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, my brave little monster slayer helper."

"Good night mommy."

"Good night Marcus, and sweet dreams." Marcus' dad said as and Marcus' mom left the room, turning the lights off behind them.

As Marcus closed his eyes and begin to fall asleep, he had one last thought before he entered dreamland. 'I bet dad could've beaten the monster even if it had been a robot spider ghost monster.'

**AN: FYI, this takes place after the Lucy and Krystal ending. I've always liked to think Fox and Krystal will have lots of kids, including at least one set of twins. Mostly because I like the idea of Fox and Krystal having a big family. Even in the Goodbye Fox ending, they only describe Marcus as "their son", so there's every possibility they could have had more, especially in other endings like this one.**

**And for those wondering, yes, a dorv is what I call the Star Fox universe equivalent of the dog. For visual reference, think of a brown, furry Bronx from Gargoyles but with normal dog ears.**


End file.
